Blizzard misses us, but beware

The Chicago area dodged a blizzard today but won't get off easy over the next 48 hours.

Fresh snow is on the way, along with temperatures that will fall to the single digits and strong winds that could make it feel as cold as 30 degrees below zero.

Brigadier Vilchez copes with the cold as he clears snow at an Evanston home. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)

Earlier today, the feared storm system that was predicted to cause whiteout conditions failed to materialize. National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Ratzer said the blizzard didn't form for three basic reasons:

--The storm system wasn't as strong as forecast. Instead of the maximum 5 inches of snow expected, 3 inches was the most any particular area encountered.

--The system came in two separate little waves. The first gave us the snow, but the second stayed aloft and moved over the lake as it strengthened.

--Temperatures were a little higher than forecast, meaning the snow had a higher moisture content and wasn't as conducive to being blown around.

"It could have been a lot worse," Ratzer said.

Still, more snow is predicted after midnight and a blast of Arctic air is bearing down. Up to an inch of snow could fall overnight, and another 2 to 3 inches could come by Wednesday afternoon. Temperatures tonight could fall to 9 below zero.

High temperatures Wednesday will be 13 to 17 degrees, with windchills as low as 15 degrees below zero.

The Arctic cold will really lock in on Thursday, with the high temperature reaching only 2 degrees below zero. It could be the first day with subzero highs since February 1996, Tom Skilling said. Strong northwest winds could send windchills as low as 30 below zero.